This is My Stratocracy
by DarkestAphelion
Summary: Roy wonders, briefly, exactly what he got himself into and what he's been in for over a decade. It's luck that Hughes is there for Roy to count on. They can handle any problem. Even the Elrics. [Roy POV. Oneshot.]


**Author's note**

Roy POV, set a little after he meets the Elrics on the train (ep. 5). It's _not_ some angsty, wishy-washy introspect like the ones I do so much. It's fun. I promise, even if it is a little sad. And it has Hughes in it XD. Uh… spoilers for Ed's father's name?

--- stratocracy- government by the military

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**This is my stratocracy **: _by Aif_

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I met the Elrics the other day.

That's right, Elric_s_. There's _two _of them- how do you figure _that_, Hughes? I'm never going to trust Intelligence again, I swear. The older kid is all right, but that other one… no human can call him a kid. No military in the world is going to want him.

And it'll be hell keeping him away from Gran, when Elric gets in. Perfect military machine, no kidding. It's even better than putting a machine gun and steel plate into yourself. So I can see _one _problem hit me in the face before I've even gotten started with the kids. I hope those two are worth it, Hughes. You told me to trust him…

Right, well, _he's_ been gone for ten-odd years, and we're the ones who are still sticking around this awful place. Trusting him is a little bit of a stretch for me. Besides, it's not like he was even around to raise his kids. I'm putting a stake in with a twelve-year-old?

-

Hughes swilled the amber lager in his tumbler before gulping it down. "Really, Roy, I don't think you need to worry," he said. "Kid's a fucking genius, from what I've heard. And I don't think that Izumi-san is the type that would brag about her own."

"Izumi?"

"Someone who knew him," Hughes said with a shrug. "Highly classified, as always."

"I'm sure." Roy made a face at the alcohol in the bottom of his cup. On second thought, he poured it into the drinking flask tied to his belt. After all, he'd already bought it.

"Besides," Hughes continued, "how old were you when you joined this trap? Fifteen… sixteen?"

"Sixteen," Roy said sourly. "If you ever meet him, feel free to keep him from that fact."

"Going to hold his age over him?"

"That, and whatever else I can find," said Roy. "His father was a real ass when he thought he was smarter than someone. I'll beat the kid down."

"He has a name."

"I forget."

"You liar," said Hughes. "You couldn't forget a fact if you wanted to."

"Nn." Roy gestured down the bar at the bartender, who nodded and slid the tab over. "Let's talk about something else. Maes, your turn to pay."

"You should, you know," said Hughes. "You drink more than I do. And you're a _colonel_; you make more than I do. And… I have my growing family to raise."

"Growing?" Roy wondered aloud. "Does Gracia know _that_?"

"You ought to get married, too."

"Maes…"

"How about that assistant of yours, that lieutenant? She's been with you for half a decade, she should be pretty used to your pathetic face by now."

Roy rolled his eyes. "I'll pay from now on as long as you stop trying to get me to get married."

-

Maes, what is it about you? I'll be strung to the limit about work… and then you'll alleviate my mind by reminding me of the only thing that makes me feel worse. _Women._ God. I felt jealous like a lover when you got married, you know? Best man, and all, gave my best friend away and then I was the only bachelor left of our old company.

Now you're always trying to get me to get married. I don't even have a steady _girlfriend_, nor do I want one. I can't get distracted… worse, if I fell in love, I would probably get complacent, weak as I am. If I get out of this military I'll be able to think about settling down, but getting out of it means dismantling it first, and I hope that will only take me the better part of another decade.

And by then, there'll be less than none women who'll want me. I can't understand how other soldiers can come home from a war and settle back in with their families. Sometimes I envy you… you who've never fought. Of course, you'd tell me that I could have taken a desk job, too.

Meaningless. The only way to get to the top is by being a hero in combat.

Maes, how is it that you could instinctively zoom in on the one woman who even touches my life? I wonder why, too, that it's a woman that makes me wonder if she's someone who could possibly understand.

-

Ed scowled up at the colonel. "I don't have to listen to you."

"You don't," Roy said calmly. "Keep in mind, however, that I know the rules and customs of this military establishment, and you do not. Feel free to traipse around by yourself; I'll be amused to see you at your court-martial."

"I'm not military yet," said Ed.

"You will be," said Roy. "Or is that not what you came here for?"

Ed frowned. "All right. But I'm not here to _enjoy _it. This job is temporary, and when I've got what I came to Central for, I'm leaving."

"Sounds good to me," said Roy. "But remember, you have to pass the exam before you can do anything else."

"I _know_," said Ed. "I'm going to pass it, ok? So you can stop smirking at me now."

-

"Kid sounds just like you, doesn't he?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You don't have to look so pissed. I'm not suggesting you were ever quite that arrogant- way past it, of course. I meant that whole "temporary job" bit."

"Oh… right."

"Yeah. Temporary… right? How long has it been?"

"Fourteen years, six months."

"That was quick."

"Well… I… I like to keep a close record on things."

"Mm."

"You sure look like you believe me."

"I always believe in you."

"Enough to stick around for a fifteen-year temporary job?"

"Hey, I'll stick around you for the rest of my life, how's _that_? Now I sound like I'm about to spout some love poetry at you."

"Very funny."

"You laughed."

"I snorted. It wasn't that funny."

"Aw, man, I'm hurt."

"Go cry to your wife."

"Aw… aw, look, a tear…"

"Sure. You can stop that fake pouting now."

"Heh. You're no fun."

"Hey… Hughes?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you really mean that… about? Hey, you know, you can always leave at any time, and I won't say a thing. I don't expect you to stick around when you have other responsibilities."

"My family, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. Well… I can't do that. Gracia knew what she was getting into when she married me! My first responsibility is always going to be to you."

"Oh, _that's_ an attitude that's going to kill you someday."

"Count on it! Just don't cry at my funeral, ok?"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Unless, of course, you have that nice lieutenant's shoulder to cry on…"

"Shut up, Hughes."

-

This is a strange situation. I'm leaning on you, Hughes, on one side… and Hoenheim's kid on the other. Shit. What a strange man. I don't even know why I'm helping his brat.

… then again, I guess you would know, wouldn't you? You know everything I don't know about me.

Maybe it's because I hate to see kids as casualties of war, eh? _That's _probably why I'm dragging another kid into the military. Couldn't just stop with myself, right? Have to keep the stream of genius kid alchemists trickling into the military, that's the only way things will get done. Who knows? Maybe if I fail at whatever it is I'm going to do, that kid can take it up.

Yeah, right. He doesn't even care about the world. What am I saying, eh, Hughes?

You know.

-

"Come on, Roy. There's no one else in the world that's stubborn, arrogant, bold, stupid and genius enough to get it done the way you could. _That's _why everyone has to protect you."

-

This is my military, good enough as. I look up every day at work and I see it clothed on the people around me. If I had a working mirror, I'm sure I could see it on myself too. I even like it- despite that it's going to kill me one day. I swear, it'll kill all of us. It's positively idiotic for me to absorb all its evil into myself.

I guess that's why I'm doing it. And that's another way of saying, 'maybe I have absolutely no idea'.

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**FIN**

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**Endnote**

Well... Did that make sense at all? I doubt it. Review, please? : )


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